ROCHESTER— Following a debate on the topic, the Rochester School Board approved a new ice hockey plan for Spaulding High School players, where families are obligated to fundraise to avoid the $1,000 price tag for a season. Voting 7-2 in favor, some board members expressed their dissatisfaction with the proposal, stating it literally “forced” parents to fundraise and could take the district down the path of “pay to play” sports for all students. Spaulding High’s athletic department recently approached the board, revealing the price for the team’s “ice time” is about $33,000 per season, for use of the ice rink at the Rochester Arena on Lowell Street. But, the school budget provides only $15,000. Hockey Coach Paul George said the team relies on a large amount of fundraising to make up the difference, but many families have not been contributing lately. The department’s compromise is to charge each family $1,000 per student, with opportunities for family members to work off that amount. For example, families could get $100 off for each, night worked at Sunday bingo at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) building on Highland Street. Other players could sell more discount cards.But School Board Chairman Robert Watson argued the proposal was rather an initiative to get back key players for team fundraising programs, and not due to a rise in ice time costs. Watson voted in opposition to the motion, along with board member Sue O’Connor, adding he felt student should focus on their academics and other extracurricular activities, rather than fundraising. He said the board should have more time to look at their budget and allot more money, if needed“I don’t think they should be spending too much time … I’d like to see (students) focus on school, academics and sports and band and whatever they’re doing,” he said. “I don’t want to see kids in front of stores begging for money … I see it way too much in our town. I don’t think the schools should encourage our students begging in front of stores.”Watson said the “dangerous” proposal could lead to other teams coming forward, requesting a similar program due to high costs. “Are there other teams that would like to do this? Is the swim team going to come forward so they can have more pool time?” Watson posed. “If they come forward, how are we going to turn them down? They’ve got the same case to make. That’s just a start. My main concern is a few years from now …”O’Connor stressed for the future, she hopes the board will re-evaluate the plan as they discuss future district budgets. “I would like to see the athletic department (budget) … so we have a more accurate accounting of how much the ice time is costing …,” she said. “ Obviously, it’s not covering it and I think we should know the true costs.”Board member Julie Brown said she supported the plan, clarifying the initiative only allows for family members and adult volunteers to work bingo nights, not students. “We need parents to pull their fair share,” Brown said. “If truth be known, only a few carry the bag when everyone should be pulling the whole wagon.”Board member Matt Pappas added hockey, like football, is a community sport that brings the city together. He said he would hate to see students who could not afford to pay be turned away, but George previously told the board that would never happen. The team will work to find a way to include each of its players (approximately 27 to 31 students, on average). Board member Anthony Pastelis said while he agreed with Watson’s view, he would vote in favor of the proposal, only because of time constraints. Watson said he believed the proposal had “not been thought out well” for future ramifications, and Pastelis acknowledged this could be a slippery slope for the district. “High school athletics have been one of the great equalizers in our society. It didn’t matter if your parents were rich or poor,” he said. “… I know (other) towns forced parents to pay to play and God forbid it happened up here. How many parents, how many families up could afford for one child, let alone two or three to play high school sports? Hopefully, we’ll get this dealt with in the next budget cycle.”